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W. E. WILLIAMS.

- GAR COUPLING. No. 347,409. Patented Aug."1'7, 188 6.

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GAR COUPLING.

No. 347,409. Patented Aug. 17,1886.

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UNITED, STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLLAM E. WILLIAMS, OF BOONVILLE, MISSOURI;

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION Jcrzning part of Letters Patent No. 347,409, dated August 17, 1886.

Application filed June 25, 1886. Serial No. 206,213. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM E. WILLIAMS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boonville, in the county of Cooper and State -of Missouri, have invented certain new. and

coaches, and which self-couple when cars come together, and self-uncouple in the event of the derailment of a locomotive or car, which improvements will be fully understood from the following description, when taken in connection with the annexed drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved coupling and its supporting-shoe. Fig. 2 is a top View of the coupling without the shoe. Fig. 3 is a front end view of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a front endview of the shoe, its spring-seat, and two of the bolts which secure it to the carbed. Fig. 5 is an end view of a freight-car box, showing the lever and hand-rod attachments. Fig. 6 is a rear end view of the shoe with circle-plates attached and a cross-section through the draw-bar in line a: m, Fig. 1.

Referring to the annexed drawings by letters, A designates a substantial cast-iron shoe, which is adapted to be secured by vertical bolts h to a car-bed. The front depending part of this shoe has a vertically oblong passage through it, as shown in Fig. 4, to allow free vertical play to a draw-bar, B. The rear depending portion of the shoe has a circular forwardly-flaring passage through it, (indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1.)

The m'ain'body of the draw-bar B is cylindrical, but its forward portion is rectangular in cross-section, and preferably slightly tapered, as shown in Fig. 1. To this latter portion I attach two parallel arms, 0 O, the rear portions of which are curved backward and inward, as shown in Fig. 2, and the front ends are provided with beveled noses or latches 11,

adapted for engagement with similar devices on the draw-bars of other cars. The rear ends of the arms 0-0 are attached to the rectanguand are beveled at b I) b" b",forming a polygon,

as shown in Fig. 2, thereby allowing lateral motion to the said arms 0. C from side to side.

Near the front end of the draw-bar B a wellknown link, 0, is attached to it, which is designed for coupling with ears not provided with my improved device.

, N designates a wrought-iron plate attached under the arms 0 O by the bolts b'b, which plate is connected by a pivot, 11, to the inner end ofa curved link, 0, hereinafter again referred to.

D designates a weight, which is secured to the rear end of the vibrating bar B by a rod, E, and band I, and a bolt, K, at an angle of about forty-five degrees when the car is locked.

At 11 is a cast-iron band,seeured rigidly to the draw-bar B by a bolt, e, against which bandabuts the front end of a spiral spring,

and g designates a washer, against which spring f also abuts.

G G designate half-circles of east-iron, which are applied in an annular groove in the drawbar and rigidly bolted to the rear side of the rear depending portion of the shoe A. (Shown in Figs. 1 and 6.) These plates G G resist the pull on the draw-bar, and they are readily ap plied to it after it is inserted into the shoe.

By again referring to Fig. 4 it will be seen that the bar B at the front end of the cast-iron shoe A rests upon a spring, .9, inserted in a recess, and held in place by a pin inserted from v the inside of the casting through a hole in its bottom.

Q designates an iron rod, which is attached to the end of the car J by brackets, so that this bar is allowed endwise play toward and from the bumper-block J. (Shown in Fig. 5.) This rod Q is bent at z, to permit a vertical rod, R, to pass behind it and to rest on a wheel,

t, which is attached to this rod. The upper end of the curved link 0 pivot, 11, to the sliding rod Q. The outer end of this rod Q is provided with a looped handle, b, which is in close relation to the side of the car, and is bent outward,so that it can be conveniently grasped by a person without his is connected by a having to go between cars. \V is a vertical pin, which is attached to a ring, 1 fixed to the carbody by a chain, and is designed to lock the car when coupled. The upper end of the rod 1% is also provided with a looped handle and a locking-pin, and at t i are studs fixed to the rods R Q, one of which pins holds the rod Q to the wheel 25, and the other stud abuts against the pin XV when the coupling is looked, as shown in Fig. 5.

From the above description it will be seen that 1 have a self-coupler, so that when cars come together the beveled surfaces of the latches Zslide one over the other, (two similar couplings of course being used,) and when entire] y over the weight D turns the draw-bar back, so that the arms 0 O are horizontal and ii rml y locked together, after which, by locking the rods Q ll, as described, the cars cannot be uncoupled while they remain on the track. If, however, a car should leave the track, it becomes uncoupled.

To uncouple cars, a person at the side removes the pin \V and pulls on the rod Q. If a person is on top ofa car, he removes the locking-pin of rod 1t and pulls up this rod.

Hating described my invention, I clai1n- 1. A car-eonpler consisting of a draw-bar which is allowed a limited oscillation about its axis and provided with a weight applied on a radial arm, in combination with couplinglatches on the ends of curved arms and polygonal bolts connecting these arms to the head of the draw-bar, substantially as described.

2. The combination of the shoe A, construct- 5 ed as described, an oscillating loaded drawbar applied in the flaring passages through the shoe and provided with latchingarms, polygonal bolts, and a plate, N, the coiled spring f, confined between collars on said bar, and the half-circle collars secured to the shoe and embracing the draw bar, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with a rocking drawbar and coupling-hooks applied thereto, of the plate N, the link O,pivoted thereto, the pullrods adapted to be operated independently for uncoupling, and the locking devices applied to these pull-rods, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with the oscillating draw-bar, the horizontal pull-rod connected to this bar by a link and plate, the stud and i00ling-pin applied to the said pull-rod, the vertical pull rod, its wheel and stud, between which said horizontal pull-rod passes, and a locking device applied to the vertical pull-rod, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I alli x my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM E. WILLIAMS.

Witnesses:

AUGUST DENGDERKY, JOSEPH WILLLurs. 

